Two on THN must-watch list

A pair of Canadiens games makes the Hockey News list of this season’s Top 10:
The team’s visit to Winnipeg on Oct. 9 will be the first NHL game in Manitoba since 1996, and the Oct. 27 visit to Boston will renew the league’s most bitter rivalry.

Another interesting story.
This time about a hockey commentator.
Many years ago my brother went to Eatons to a Dick Irvin book signing. The initial rush had subsided and Dick was alone at his table as my brother approached.
After Dick had signed his book, he was asked:
“Hey Dick, why is it that when the Habs are seen nationally on the CBC, Bob Cole does the play by play and not you?
Well I guess that is a head office decision blah, blah (I forget a bit of this) Essentially Dick was very diplomatic in his response.
My brother paused for a moment and replied:

” But Dick, Bob is a waste of sperm!!”

Supposedly, Dick nearly pissed himself laughing!!
As he tried to speak a few more diplomatic words in defence of Bob
Wow, to be present for that would have been unforgetable!

The only redeeming quality Bob Cole has going for him is he’s improving bilingualism nationwide. More and more people are signing up for RDS to avoid hearing him misread the play, get names wrong, and show bias against Montreal.

I have heard alot about the book but have yet to ask the wife to buy it for me! Only so much Habs stuff can be bought at a time for x-mas and birthdays.
My 2 boys have left me enough time to start another Habs book twice. Its been months since I picked it up. Not even sure where it is.

Good ole Lachine, QC….where i grew up….many hours spent at the outdoor rinks and playing street hockey. Took the family there in March to check out all the sites. Even drove by Brasserie 12 which has since changed owners, right? Cool story..persistence pays my friend. I met the roadrunner at Dorval airport 10 years ago on a flight to Toronto, he signed my Kelowna Rockets hat. A real nice guy. Man, i miss those guys – have u read The Game – best hockey book ever…cant believe i waited all these years to read it. Sounds like some good memories for you too. Cheers.

…finally, kudos to Dave Sidhu and His ‘Prawf’s Blawg’ series on fighting and the enforcer/tough guy debate in the NHL …much more intelligently and equitably thoughtful than the recent shallow effort in EotP recently
…also interesting, if You have not listened to it yet, is a recent interview of Wade Belak on Melnick (AM990) …discussing his thoughts on the significance of why an inferior talent-wise MuppleWeed team always ate the Senators’ lunch, because of the fact of Jacques Martin’s Senators penchant of keeping a Chris Neil’s butt nailed to the Sens’ bench rather than sending him out to negate the Weedz’ Beastie Boyz

…Andy, Andy, My dear Andy ! …HATE ? …hmmmm, THAT is a significant word …first, Andy, I am not a hater, I am a Lover …second, ‘hate’ is a significant word …and last I looked, You are not significant Andy, so, no !, ‘hate’ assuredly is NOT appropriate or accurate
…’disdain’ ? …for Your ‘snark’ You so cocksurely and frequently dispense to many commentators when Yourself barely know how to skate let alone be a font of ‘wisdom’ on the sport of hockey …hmmmm, yeah, You’re gettin’ warmer
…PS: Andy, just a tip …don’t suck Your thumb in public …it’s very unbecoming

You really are the king of dumbasses. It’s impressive how much “disdain” you have for me after I haven’t conversed with you in over a year. It’s sad you’re so obsessed with someone as apparently insignificant as I am.

A few years ago. A few Old Habs were in town at a Vancouver Giants game. They were on a tour in rememberance of the 72 summit series. Yvan C #12 was with them. I knew him from eating at his brasserie often in Lachine Qc with my dad many years ago. I never saw him play (too young) But alot of fond memories with my now deceased dad had been made there over roast beef.
There was a raffle at the game to get a chance for an autograph. I somehow had 20 tickets but had no luck for a winner.
I was wearing my brand new vintage white jersey and was determined to get it signed.
I waited with my 4 year old son and watched till the last person went through and got his autographs.
I looked at the guy in charge and said, “I only want 1 autograph, his” as I pointed to Yvan.
He looked around nervously, as if we were about to do a drug deal, and nodded to me!
I whipped of the jersey, had no idea where my son was!, and handed it to him. He asked me to hold it and gave me the nicest autograph ( it was legable!) I own.
We spoke about his restaurant while he signed the jersey.
It was an awesome night!!

… http://habsterix.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/what-is-the-impact-of-local-players-on-the-canadiens/
…this link, as You may recognize by My own link below is, to Me, like red meat on a a bone for a Rottweiler …this issue of the unforgivable reality the Montreal Canadiens have more Americans on Our Team than Quebec Homeboys is a reflection of the low-rent management and ownership that Our Team has endured over the past 20 or so years
…obviously, the World has changed …Habsterix, Himself, seems to be a proud Francophone ex-Quebecer living here on the Wrong Coast (as I do, except I am a proud Anglo)
…it’s an embarrassing shame to the Legacy and history of Our Montreal Canadiens, …somehow Geoffrey Molson must address this shame, in taking initiatives through trade and the draft to increase the Francophone ratio (I think We are doing so, but I believe the emphasis to right this wrong should be increased)
…a big part of many Francophone Quebecers’ passion to bring back the Nordiques is Their sense of displacement in ‘ownership’ of the Montreal Canadiens …in addition to so few Francophones and native-Quebecers on the ice, there is also a real or subliminal feeling Our Habs are more of a vehicle for the Allo/Jewish and what remains of the Anglo population of Quebec
…of course, it will be little different obtaining high-end Homeboys in this age of the draft and mercenary nature of today’s players, …Peladeau (a ‘creepoid’ I can’t stand) will likely manipulate these nationalistic instincts to his advantage
…yet, if I was Geoff Molson or the CEO of Bell I would NOT want My limited Quebec market diluted …Ottawa Senators already 100+ km down the highway diluting Our Eastern Ontario market, and to further allowing at least 50 % of a 7 million population slip through Their wallets without severe demands for compensation seems very unlikely, corporately, even if I or You would love to relive the Nords/Habs rivalry and passion
…if the NHL does approve a franchise for Quebec City, it surely must mean that another franchise in Southern Ontario is likely on the horizon as well

Chris, most of the stuff out there indicates strongly that this is a Hockey Quebec problem, not a Montreal Canadiens problem. Quebec chose not to follow Hockey Canada into it’s development program 20 years ago. The result has been a diminish in high level hockey players being developed in Quebec, a conference addressing this issue from the Habs website.http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=587439&navid=DL|MTL|home

…I agree Frank, the QMJHL is/was part of the problem …but there were too many very good Francophone Players released by the Habs, and many excellent Francophone draft picks overlooked for US College duds over the years too

I think it’s a shared responsibility. Yes, Hockey Quebec should have followed Hockey Canada and the QMJHL should have done a better job promoting/developing their players, but I agree with my fellow Habs’ fan from Surrey that the Canadiens didn’t help themselves either. There were, over the years, several good French Canadien players available and they chose other players, hindsight being 20-20 of course. They just don’t seem to pursue them as hard as they pursue, for example, american players.
My two cents.
I am convinced that a team in Quebec City would go a long way in proving that there are local talents who could play in this league, and it might just force the Canadiens to pay closer attention.

True. What happens if a future Quebec team stocks the cupboards exclusively with PQ born-and-bred players and as a result ends up picking first in the draft? Do they then go with the first Quebecker instead of the consensus number 1 overall?

This notion of the Habs not pursuin’ players as hard as they pursue others, centered around a fixation on US players vs Quebec players, is pure fluff. They are pursuin’ talent.

And you said it yourself: hindsight is 20/20. That pretty much should have been the end of it.

Why has the Q slid so hard in the draft? Cuz of the Habs?

If the erstwhile ‘Diques want to make a point by gamblin’ on draft picks, all the power to them. Godspeed Quebec City, no doubt the fans will fully support the pursuit of diamonds in the rough at the expense of thoughtful draftin’.

In the meantime, as far as serious teams are concerned – as compared to social experiments – the Q needs to keep cleanin’ up its act.

Hey Habitant in Surrey….great post. I am a huge Hab fan living in the Okanagan and can appreciate your comments. I see the Habs play the Canucks in Vancouver every year. One visit, about 5 years ago, we met Henri Richard in the hotel lobby. He was very gracious and offered my daughter and I a signed photo and signed my Habs jersey (which has # 9 on the back with Richard on it…what are the odds of being in that situation?) which i was wearing at the time. He was simply awesome. It’s great to come into personal contact with some of our heroes from our youth. Cheers.

…out here on the Wrong Coast, the weather is sublime …no typhoons or earthquakes to ruin the mood of ‘summertime’ …and the livin’ is certainly ‘easy’
…I have that bi-polar unease in My mind, like an addict for the ‘need’ of My Habs getting another season underway …and, on the other side of My cerebellum, not wanting the warm care-free warmth of the summer sun to leave for falling leaves or the imminent soul-suckin’ rain
…I look-in on HIO only once or twice a week just to keep up with the latest on My Habs, …always being surprised how many of My fellow-Habs’ Fans can spend so much time on-line rehashing the same minutiae ad infinitum
…I know ‘fan’ is brief for ‘fanatic, …and Habs’ Fan is brief for ‘out of Your mind’ …but, I hope Y’all have also been taking time to enjoy real sunshine and a beautiful summer

…Boone’s links today were, for Me, some of the most interesting in awhile, so I am glad I dropped-in
…first, the Dickie Moore era was the incubation-period for Myself, as a kid, that shaped My own passion as a Montreal Canadiens Fan …Dickie was not My favorite (Plante was) …but He was among the veritable Galaxy of Heroes on the then Montreal Canadiens …seeing the above video profile on Dickie Moore brought back so many memories of Our Habs’ golden-era that it certainly made it worthwhile to come in from My sunny terrace to look-in on HIO
…it also brought back a memory of meeting Dickie Moore in the lobby of the old Montreal Forum …I was with My beloved, now-departed wife, Mary, during an in-between period intermission, and Mr. Moore was with a male friend …I knew Mary disdained ‘celebrity’, and had opinions that silly, unsightly public hero-worship was thoroughly ‘uncool’ …and, so do I as a ‘norm’
…Yet !, , THIS was Dickie Moore, a former childhood Montreal Canadiens HERO …NOT a Justin Bieber or Annette Funicello (Google it !), or even a mundane Elvis Presley …so, before Mr. Moore slipped away into the Forum crowd, I looked into Mary’s eyes and apologised, without explaining as I had no time, and walked the 10 or 15 feet necessary to Mr. Moore and told Him something dumb like ‘thanks for the memories Dickie !’
…I thought, well, that’s over …I got THAT outa My system …now, back to Mary’s wrath …or disdain
…when I turned My back to return to Mary, Mr. Moore called-out to Me, saying “thank you, what’s Your name ?”
…I told Him, and to make a longer story shorter, Mary and I spent 10 or so more minutes with Mr. Moore and friend. I explained I had been out of Canada for several years and He had been among My Heroes as a kid
…I know this is a small vignette many of Us likely have had in Our lives, nothing Earth-shaking or especially significant to make a difference to Mankind
…except, on a personal-level, after Mary and I returned to Our seats, Mary leaned over to whisper in My ear over the din of The Game, “…that Mr. Dickie seems like a very nice man !”

If Geoff Molson opposes another NHL team in Quebec City – I guess it is easy to understand………..why break up a monopoly when you own the only game in town (or at least the province)?

If Molson is smart – he will aticipate another NHL team in Quebec and develop both a business plan and hockey plan to compete with them.

Habs fans would (at least hypothetically) greatly benefit from competition of having a team in Quebec. It just might mean that Geoff Molson would be forced to ice a TRUELY competative hockey team…..something Habs fans have not seen in a very long time!

Habs current roster and players-in-waiting are far from being a true contender, despite that Price’s goaltending can produce a respectable W-L record (which is not to say the Habs cannot become a true contender).

I am happy that Molson has taken over team presidency from Boivin – however, looking over Gauthier’s track record as a NHL GM does not give me a sense that he can build a championship calibre team!

I grew up with Les Nordiques. One of the greatest bodychecks I ever witnessed was Robinson on Anton Stastny. I want to see Quebec land that franchise. Then I want the Habs to keep knocking them out of the playoffs.

What I’m more concerned about is Yvon Pednault fluffing his boss Péladeau with this article. Talk about a conflict of interest here, he is casting light on the alleged lack of business ethics of the Molsons, while completely glossing over the fact that Pierre Karl Péladeau is making the citizens of Québec build him an arena for a putative franchise that he would massively profit from.

If there is profit to be made from managing the new Colisée, then there should be open bidding on the management contract to get a fee closer to the market value, rather than just handing the keys over to Pélescroc.

Better yet, the Nordiques should be a community-owned franchise like the Green Bay Packers. If the people of Québec are footing the bill for the arena anyway, and will be keeping the franchise afloat through outrageous ticket prices, seat licences and cable TV fees, they may as well own the damned thing and feel okay about paying for their addiction.

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For my training camp surprise, I want the second coming of Mike McPhee. And maybe Kent Carlson.

I see nothing today to suggest that this is NOT the case. In fact, anyone who covers the team professionally (i.e., people who know more than you or me) say that the Habs locker room is exceptionally tight. And that the guys stick up for each other (recall White trouncing Marchand, among others, and I would even include Gomez following Chara around the ice after the Pacioretty hit). I don’t see anything about this room that wouldn’t satisfy Moore.

Chorske ,the real Canadiens would of pounced on Lurch,in fact I can see Serge Savard cross checking his teeth through his lips right now!You must be a younger fan cause You Tube old time CLIPS don’t cut the mustard when it comes too the whole story.Look ,I’m all for the new season and the passion of the fan ,but I will never ,ever ,be blinded by it whist forgetting the past years of play or anything to do with HISTORY!But you can fill your boots.

One year I would love to attend the Summit. This year I am unable to travel as I await some surgery on the Sept 8 and then a period of recovery but there’s always next year. If one of you fine gentlemen would care to tip a single malt for me I will be grateful.

DD: just to be clear, these sorts of autograph sessions are well populated with collectors and memorabilia dealers; this is not the crowd of kids waiting by the team bus. And if someone makes a buck off a player’s name, I think he’s within his right to seek a cut—as long as he doesn’t stiff the kids by the bus.

I don’t know if this particular event is a charity fundraiser, but Carey does a number of signings throughout the hockey season where the proceeds are donated to the Montreal Children’s Hospital – IIRC the last such event raised a little over $31,000.

while the habs were better last year than the year before there were still more games where we were outplayed and won than games where we outplayed the other team and lost….just like the year before scoring was a major issue as there were way too many games we knew that if we scored 2 goals that would be a good night….
the major issues the habs have
1) scoring…while i believe most of our forwards will have the same type of stats as last year there are 3 forwards that can make a huge difference…camm-expectation for him should be 30 plus goals…cole-expectations for him 22-25 goals and maxpac-20 plus goals( unless last year was just a hot streak)
2) faceoffs…has not been addressed and has been a major weakness for 2 years…we tend to lose too many faceoffs on our pp,pk and in key situations
3) d toughness…many teams have huge forwards that will be flying into our zone and driving to our net…teams will use their d to pinch…this will ramp up even more in the playoffs…right now we are depending on a first year player to be our physical d man and a player we need more for his offense..

My initial reply mentioned the ECF team, but in hindsight that was more luck then level of talent.

The team has progressively improved. That is all I ask for, no more regression as we saw in the late 90s and early 00s.
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If you want a days count till Habs hockey, I recommend this as your home page: http://bit.ly/mTnegr

If this team gets true power forward play from both Max Pac and Eric Cole I think this will allow Montreal to play a better offensive game in the other teams zone. I think JM had this team playing a defensive style focusing on the counter attack because of the fact we couldn’t sustain offensive zone pressure.

Combine that with a Markov and Subban blue line we should be able to play a better offensive game. Unfortunately until we see this we can only speculate that our team may finally be a better 5 on 5 scoring team.

Shifts are normally around 45 seconds. How do you sustain offensive zone pressure when it takes about 30…35 seconds to get the puck out of your own zone. By the time you get the puck out it’s time for a line change so you dump the puck in and change lkines. During the line change the other team moves the puck up the ice and dumps the puck in and the same thing happens all over again. That’s JM’s defensive system

many times stats are not a true indication of play…you have to watch the games to see what is really happening…i remember last year when i mentioned that we were poor at faceoffs you disputed it by mentioning that we have centres that have over 50% winning stat..but i believe most people who watch the habs game realize that we are poor at winning the key faceoffs(on the pp,pk and end of games or o/t…

That didn’t happen, but good shot trying to discredit me. We were terrible on faceoffs.

Let me ask you something, how do you think stats are accrued? I think people need to WATCH THE GAMES to get stats. Outchancing, outshooting and outpossessing other teams is as indicative of the play as you can get.

I need firm Summit event people numbers please, from everyone. So that the proper reservations can be made. Leave your name and numbers per event.

Anyone can come, season ticket holders or even people that are not going to the game but would like to participate in some of our events. Please call me at 613-968-9807 or e-mail me at cobb(my first name)grant@yahoo.ca with how many for each event. ASAP

For Hurley’s Pub both Friday eve and Saturday night after the game, it is already reserved. No need of numbers, everyone can just show up saying you are with HIO. Name tags will be given out.

Price’s bad luck that season was unbelievable. Never, in all my 93 years of watching hockey have I seen any player, let alone a goalie with such incredibly bad luck. It started in the first period of the year when he cut Markov with his skate, putting him out for the season. From there it was pretty much downhill. It got to the point where I started to question why one guy was catching all these incredibly bad bounces and tough luck. I started to think that he must be doing something to bring all this on. I never really did figure it out and now it’s all in the past. (you’re welcome Mr. Halak) Thank God those demons have been flushed down the freaking toilet.